Handle for plastic grocery bags or the like and related system

ABSTRACT

A handle for one or more plastic grocery bags or the like includes a base and first and second arms. The base is generally planar base and extends along a longitudinal axis. The first and second arms extend from the base and each include an arcuate portion proximate the base and a flange extending from the arcuate portion. The arcuate portions of the first and second arms cooperatively define a generally circular opening for receiving at least one plastic bag handle and the flanges are spaced apart from one another proximate the first and second arms to define a gap for permitting the at least one plastic bag handle to enter the generally circular opening.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/169,616 filed 2 Jun. 2015, which application isherein expressly incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a handle for a plastic grocery bag orthe like. The present disclosure additionally relates to a system forcoupling one or more plastic grocery bags to a handle. Further, thepresent disclosure relates to a system for securely mounting a handleand one or more associated plastic grocery bags within a motor vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Supermarkets and other stores commonly offer plastic bags for thetransportation of purchased goods from the store to the consumers' home.These plastic bags have many advantages to the stores, such a low costand a small storage volume.

While the plastic bags are generally convenient to the consumer thereare associated disadvantages. For example, a single trip to asupermarket will often yield groceries filling many plastic bags. Theweight of these filled plastic bags may frequently cause the consumerhand pain during transportation. Additionally, if the plastic bags aretransported by vehicle, there is no practical way to keep the plasticbags upright and the purchased goods are often strewn about the vehiclebefore arriving home.

A need for improvement in the pertinent art exists to address the abovediscussed and other drawbacks.

SUMMARY

According to one particular aspect, the present teachings are directedto a handle for one or more plastic grocery bags or the like. The handleincludes a base and first and second arms. The base is generally planarbase and extends along a longitudinal axis. The first and second armsextend from the base and each include an arcuate portion proximate thebase and a flange extending from the arcuate portion. The arcuateportions of the first and second arms cooperatively define a generallycircular opening for receiving at least one plastic bag handle and theflanges are spaced apart from one another proximate the first and secondarms to define a gap for permitting the at least one plastic bag handleto enter the generally circular opening.

According to another particular aspect, the present teachings aredirected to a saddle for a handle for one or more plastic grocery bags.The handle includes a generally planar base extending along alongitudinal axis first and second arms extending from the base. Thefirst and second arms each including an arcuate portion proximate thebase and a flange extending from the arcuate portion. The saddleincludes a pair of base elements. The pair of base elements cooperate toat least partially define a channel for receiving the handle. A lengthof the channel is limited to prevent translation of the handle and awidth of the channel limited to prevent rotation of the handle withinthe channel.

According to yet another particular aspect, the present teachingsprovide a system for carrying a plurality of plastic bags. The systemincludes first and second handles. Each handle includes a generallyplanar base extending along a longitudinal axis and first and secondarms extending from the base. The first and second arms each include anarcuate portion proximate the base and a flange extending from thearcuate portion. The first and second tote strap clasp members eachinclude a handle receiving portion and a coupling portion. The handlereceiving portion receives an associated one of the first and secondhandles. The system further includes a strap received by the couplingportions of the first and second tote strap clasp members.

According to still yet another particular aspect, the present teachingsprovide a chip clip arrangement including a receiving member and aretention member. The receiving member includes a generally planar baseextending along a longitudinal axis first and second arms extending fromthe base. The first and second arms each include an arcuate portionproximate the base and a flange extending from the arcuate portion. Thearcuate portions of the first and second arms cooperatively defines agenerally circular opening for receiving retention member and theflanges are spaced apart from one another proximate the first and secondarms to define a gap for permitting the retention member to enter thegenerally circular opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a handle in accordance with the presentteachings, the handle shown operatively associated with a plasticgrocery bag.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the handle of FIG. 1 shown removed fromthe plastic grocery bag for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the handle of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a saddle for coupling one or moreplastic grocery bags to a handle in accordance with the presentteachings.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another saddle for coupling one or moreplastic grocery bags to a handle in accordance with the presentteachings, the saddle shown operatively associated with a handle.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another saddle for coupling one or moreplastic grocery bags to a handle in accordance with the presentteachings, the saddle shown operatively associated with a handle.

FIG. 7 is perspective view of the saddle of FIG. 6 shown the saddleoperatively associated with a bin.

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the saddle of FIGS. 4-6 shownoperatively associated with a bin.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a rail assembly for a motor vehicle inaccordance with the present teachings, the rail assembly shownoperatively associated with a handle for receiving a plastic grocery bagor the like.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken through the rail assembly andhandle of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11A-11C is a series of views illustrating operation of the railassembly of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is an environmental perspective view illustrating a pair of totestrap clasp members in accordance with the present teachings, the pairof tote strap clasp members shown operatively associated with a pair ofhandles, a plurality of plastic grocery bags and a tote strap.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of one of the tote strap clasp members andassociated handle of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the tote strap clasp memberand associated handle of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a chip clip arrangement in accordancewith the present teachings, the chip clip arrangement shown operativelyassociated with a bag of chips.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the chip clip arrangement of FIG. 15shown removed from the bag of chips for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the chip clip arrangement of FIG.16.

FIG. 18 is a perspective environmental view illustrating a plurality ofchip clip arrangements in accordance with the present teachings, theplurality of chip clip arrangements shown carried on a common rack andeach associated with a bag of chips.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the rack of FIG. 18 shown with the chipclip arrangements and bags of chips removed for purposes ofillustration.

FIG. 20 is a side view of the rack and chip clip arrangements of FIG.18.

FIG. 21 is an environmental perspective view illustrating a pair ofalternative tote strap clasp members in accordance with the presentteachings, the pair of alternative tote strap clasp members shownoperatively associated with a pair of alternative handles, a pluralityof plastic grocery bags and a tote strap.

FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view taken through one of the tote strapclasp members of FIG. 21 shown operatively associated with therespective handle 10.

FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate an OEM version of a rail assembly for a motorvehicle in accordance with the present teachings.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating anotherhandle in accordance with the present teachings.

FIG. 26 is a side view of the handle of FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a side view of a plurality of the handles of FIG. 25 shownclipped together.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the handle of FIG. 25 shown operativelyassociated with a rack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Further areas of applicability will becomeapparent from the description provided herein. The description andspecific examples in this summary are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure.

With initial reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, a handle in accordance withthe present teachings is illustrated and generally identified atreference character 10. FIG. 1 shows the handle operatively associatedwith one particular plastic grocery bag 12. It will be understood thatthe present teachings may be utilized in connection with other plasticbags and bags constructed of alternative materials within the scope ofthe present teachings. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the handle 10 apart fromthe plastic bag 10 for purposes of illustration.

In the embodiment illustrated, the handle 10 is illustrated to generallyinclude a base 14 and a pair of arms 16. The base 14 may be generallyplanar and extend along a longitudinal axis of the handle 10. The arms16 may extend from the base 14, run along the length of the handle 10,and be identical. As shown, the arms 16 may each include an arcuateportion 18 proximate the base 14 and a generally planar flange 20extending from the arcuate portion 18. The arms 16 may be orientedrelative to one another such that each is a mirror image of the otherabout a plane extending perpendicular to the base 14. The arcuateportions 18 of the arms 16 may cooperatively define a generally circularopening 22 for receiving and retaining the handle of one or more plasticbags. At proximal end adjacent the base 14, the flanges 20 are spacedapart from one another to define a gap 24 for receiving the handle ofone or more plastic bags into the opening 22. The flanges 20 divergefrom one another as they extend distally from the arcuate portions 18 ofthe arms 16. This cooperative geometry provides a structure whichreadily receives the handles of one or more plastic bags without unduerequired accuracy and directs the handles of the plastic bags into thegenerally circular opening 22.

The arms 16 may be resiliently displaced from one another. In thisregards, the arm 16 may be constructed of plastic or other suitablematerial that may be elastically deflected such that the lateraldimension of the gap 24 is temporarily increased. In one particularapplication, the handle 10 may uniformly constructed through anextrusion process.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 through 3 and additionally referenceto FIG. 4, a saddle for coupling one or more plastic grocery bags 12 tothe handle 10 in accordance with the present teachings is shown andgenerally identified at reference character 26. The saddle 26 isgenerally illustrated to include a pair of base elements 28 and a frame30 coupling the pair of base elements 28. The base elements 28 may besolid members constructed of any suitable material and may defineopenings 32. The base elements 28 are secured relative to one another bythe frame 30. The frame 30 may be fixedly attached to the base elements28 with fasteners or in any suitable manner known in the art. Theopenings 32 of the base elements 28 may be aligned to partially define achannel for receiving the handle 10. Upper surfaces of the base elements28 may be angled to define lead-in surfaces for directing the handle 10into the channel. The channel may have a width suitable toleranced withthe handle 10 to prevent rotation of the handle 10 within the channel.The channel may have a length suitably limited to prevent too muchtranslation of the handle 10 along its axial length. As illustrated, thechannel is limited by the frame 30. The saddle 26 may be supported on aflat surface or mounted to a stationary structure in any well-knownmanner.

Turning to FIG. 5, another saddle for coupling one or more plasticgrocery bags to the handle 10 in accordance with the present teachingsis shown and generally identified at reference character 26A. Given thesimilarities between the saddle 26 and the saddle 26A, the referencecharacters introduced with respect to saddle 26 are used to identifysimilar elements. The details not otherwise shown or described will beunderstood to be similar to corresponding details of the saddle 26. Thesaddle 26A generally differs from the saddle 26 in that the saddle 26Aincorporates a wire frame 30A. The wire frame 30A may engage a rear sideof the saddle 26A. The base elements 28 function to limit the axiallength of the channel receiving the channel.

Turning to FIG. 6, another saddle for coupling one or more plasticgrocery bags to the handle 10 in accordance with the present teachingsis shown and generally identified at reference character 26B. Again,given the similarities between the saddle 26 and the saddle 26B, thereference characters introduced with respect to saddle 26 are used toidentify similar elements. The details not otherwise shown or describedwill be understood to be similar to corresponding details of the saddle26. The saddle 26B generally differs from the saddle 26 in that thesaddle 26B incorporates a wire frame 30A. The wire frame 30A may engagelateral sides of the saddle 26B. The frame 30A functions to limit theaxial length of the channel receiving the handle 10.

With reference to FIG. 7, the saddle 26B of FIG. 6 is shown operativelyassociated with a bin 34. The bin 34 is associated with a pair ofmounting brackets 36. The saddle 26B may be securely attached to a frontside of the bin 34 in any suitable manner.

With reference to FIG. 8, the saddle 26B of FIG. 4 is shown operativelyassociated with the bin 34 of FIG. 7. In this particular application,the bin 34 may be associated with a stand 38. The stand 38 may include apair of legs 40 and a self-supporting base 42.

Turning to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11A-11C, a rail assembly for a motor vehiclein accordance with the present teachings is illustrated and generallyidentified at reference character 44. The rail assembly shown 44 may bemounted within a vehicle, for example and adapted to receive one or morehandles 10. In this manner, the handles may be retained duringtransportation of the groceries such that the groceries are retainedwithin the plastic bags.

The rail assembly 44 may generally include a rail 46. The rail 46 mayhave a generally rectangular cross section and may define alongitudinally extending cavity. A front surface of the rail 46 maydefine a gap 48. The gap 48 may run completely or substantially theentire axial length of the rail 46 and may include an open end and aclosed end. The gap includes a portion adjacent its open end whichwidens. In use, the flanges 20 of the handle 10 extend through the gap48 such that distal ends of the flanges 20 are disposed in the cavity.The gap has a height along most of its length sufficiently tolerancerelative to the dimensions of the handle 10 to compress the flanges 20towards one another. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 10,the flanges 20 may be compressed such that they are parallel andadjacent one another. Enlarged ends of the flanges 20 prevent theflanges from withdrawal from the cavity in a direction perpendicular tothe axial length of the rail 46. The diverging geometry of the gap 48operates to compress the flanges 20 during introduction and direct theflanges 20.

The rail assembly 46 may further include a retention device 50. Theretention device 50 may be mounted to the rail 46 for pivoting about avertically extending axis (e.g., perpendicular to the longitudinallyextending axis of the rail 46). The retention device 50 may be biased bya spring 52 to a closed position. The closed position is shown in FIG.11B. In this position, the open end of the gap 48 is sufficiently closedto prevent withdrawal of the handle 10. A loading position of theretention device 50 is shown in FIG. 11A. In this position, the spring52 is sufficiently deflected to introduce the handle 10. An unloadingposition is shown in FIG. 11C. The unloading position is attained bymanually depressing the retention device 50 and sliding it forward to alocked open position. The hinge pin is in a small slot. Once pushed in,the hinge pin allows the user to slide the retention device 50 into anotch to keep it open.

With reference to FIGS. 12 through 14, a tote strap clasp member inaccordance with the present teachings is illustrated and generallyidentified at reference character 54. The tote strap clasp member 54 isshown operatively associated with the handle 10. FIG. 12 is anenvironmental view illustrating a pair of the tote strap clasp members54 operatively associated with a pair of handles 10, a plurality ofplastic grocery bags 12 and a tote strap 56.

The tote strap clasp member 54 is illustrated to generally include ahandle receiving portion 58 and a coupling portion 60 for coupling tothe strap 56. The handle receiving portion 58 may have a generallycircular cross section and may define a longitudinally extending cavity.The handle receiving portion 58 may define a gap 62. The gap 62 may runcompletely or substantially the entire axial length of the handlereceiving portion 58 and may include an open end and a closed end. Thegap 62 includes a portion adjacent its open end which widens. In use,the flanges 20 of the handle 10 extend through the gap 48 such thatdistal ends of the flanges 20 are disposed in the cavity. The enlargedends of the flanges 20 prevent the flanges from withdrawal from thecavity in a direction perpendicular to the axial length of the handlereceiving portion 58. The diverging geometry of the gap 62 operates tocompress the flanges 20 during introduction and direct the flanges 20.

The handle receiving portion 60 may be formed with the handle receivingportion 58 through an injection molding process, for example. The handlereceiving portion 60 may radially extend from the handle receivingportion 58 and may define a slot 64 for receiving the strap 56.

Turning to FIGS. 15-17, a chip clip arrangement in accordance with thepresent teachings is illustrated and generally identified at referencecharacter 66. In FIG. 15, the chip clip arrangement 66 is shownoperatively associated with a bag of chips 68. The chip clip arrangement66 is generally shown to include a receiving member 70 and a retentionmember 72. The receiving member 70 generally includes a base 74 and apair of arms 76. The base 74 may be generally planar and extend along alongitudinal axis of the receiving member 70. The arms 76 may extendfrom the base 74, run along the length of the receiving member 70, andbe identical. As shown, the arms 76 may each include an arcuate portion78 proximate the base 74 and a generally planar flange 80 extending fromthe arcuate portion 78. The arms 76 may be oriented relative to oneanother such that each is a mirror image of the other about a planeextending perpendicular to the base 74. The arcuate portions 78 of thearms 76 may cooperatively define a generally circular opening 82 forreceiving and retaining the retention member 72. At proximal endadjacent the base 74, the flanges 80 are spaced apart from one anotherto define a gap 84 for receiving the receiving member 70 into theopening 82. The flanges 80 diverge from one another as they extenddistally from the arcuate portions 78 of the arms 76.

The arms 76 may be resiliently displaced from one another. In thisregards, the arms 76 may be constructed of plastic or other suitablematerial that may be elastically deflected such that the lateraldimension of the gap 84 is temporarily increased to receive theretention member. In one particular application, the receiving member 70may uniformly constructed through an extrusion process.

As shown in the drawings, retention member 72 may be a hollow tube. Theopen end of the chip bag 68 may be wrapped around the retention member82 prior to introduction into the opening 82. Upon introduction into theopening 82, the chip bag 68 is captured and sealed.

Turning to FIGS. 18-20, a plurality of the chip clip arrangement ofFIGS. 15-17 are shown carried on a common rack 90 and each associatedwith a bag of chips 68. As illustrated, the receiving members 70 may bepermanently attached to the rack 90. The rack 90 may be associated withconventional mounting brackets 92.

With reference to FIGS. 21 and 22, a pair of alternative tote strapmembers in accordance with the present teachings are illustrated andgenerally identified at reference character 70. As compared to theembodiment of FIG. 12, the tote strap members 70 provide an alternativeway for closing off the slot. As compared use of the cylinder with theslot in FIG. 14, the embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22 may possible resultin reduced clothing snags.

Turning to FIGS. 23 and 24, an OEM version of a rail assembly for amotor vehicle in accordance with the present teachings is illustratedand generally identified at reference character 80. The rail assembly 10may be molded into side panels or seatbacks of a motor vehicle, forexample. The rail assembly 80 may use a locking spring button that canbe pushed once to open a slot, and pushed again to close the slot.

Turning to FIGS. 25 and 26, another handle in accordance with thepresent teachings is illustrated and generally identified at referencecharacter 10′. It will be understood that the handle 10′ is similar tothe handle 10. For this reason, similar reference characters are used toidentify similar elements. The handle 10′ differs from the handle 10 byhaving a uniform wall thickness. As shown in FIG. 28, a groove 80proximate the base 14 is adapted to slide into a slot 82 of a rack 84.The rack 84 may be secured to an underside of a shelf, for example, withconventional fasteners. The groove 80 also enables better organizationthrough clipping together of a plurality of handles 10′, as shown inFIG. 27.

The foregoing description of the embodiment(s) has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. One ormore example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled inthe art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples ofspecific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not beemployed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes,well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are notdescribed in detail.

What is claimed is:
 1. A handle for one or more grocery bags, the handlecomprising: a generally planar base extending along a longitudinal axis;and first and second arms extending from the base, the first and secondarms each including an arcuate portion proximate the base and a flangeextending from the arcuate portion; wherein the arcuate portions of thefirst and second arms cooperatively define an opening for receiving atleast one plastic bag handle and the flanges are spaced apart from oneanother proximate the first and second arms to define a gap forpermitting at least one plastic bag handle to enter the opening, whereinthe first and second arms each further include a linear segment betweenthe respective arcuate portion and the generally planar base.
 2. Thehandle of claim 1, wherein the opening is generally circular.
 3. Thehandle of claim 1, wherein the first and second arms are mirror imagesof one another.
 4. The handle of claim 1, in combination with a plasticgrocery bag.
 5. A system for carrying a plurality of plastic bags, thesystem comprising: first and second handles, each handle including agenerally planar base extending along a longitudinal axis and first andsecond arms extending from the base, the first and second arms eachincluding an arcuate portion proximate the base and a flange extendingfrom the arcuate portion; first and second tote strap clasp members,each tote strap clasp member including a handle receiving portion and acoupling portion, the handle receiving portion receiving an associatedone of the first and second handles; and a strap received by thecoupling portions of the first and second tote strap clasp members.
 6. Ahandle for one or more grocery bags, the handle comprising: a baseextending along a longitudinal axis; and first and second arms extendingfrom the base, the first and second arms each including an arcuateportion proximate the base and a flange extending from the arcuateportion, the arcuate portions of the first and second arms cooperativelydefining an opening for receiving at least one plastic bag handle andthe flanges are spaced apart from one another proximate the first andsecond arms to define a gap for permitting at least one plastic baghandle to enter the opening, wherein the handle includes a length alongthe longitudinal axis and a width perpendicular to the length, thelength being greater than the width.
 7. The handle of claim 6, whereinthe first and second arms each further include a linear segment betweenthe respective arcuate portion and the generally planar base.
 8. Thehandle of claim 6, wherein the base is planar.
 9. The handle of claim 6,wherein the first and second arms extend completely along the length ofthe handle.
 10. The handle of claim 6, wherein the flanges of the firstand second arms are generally planar.